Time Saving Meals: Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

One of the most time-consuming things we have to do each week revolves around food. Planning, shopping, cooking and eating. Some weeks we just don’t have time and end up buying fast food or other pre-fab meals that are quick and convenient, but not especially healthy. So with that in mind, here are some meals that hopefully will help you make the most of your busy schedule while still being tasty and good for you!

I really like Indian food. It wasn’t always that way, just ask my parents, but as I’ve grown older I’ve really come to love the spices and fragrances and everything. So when I was looking for slow cooker meals to make for dinners and found this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, I knew we had to try it! The recipe I found actually is a variation from another recipe which is actually a repost from another site. Overall, it tastes great and makes enough food that you might even want to freeze some for later!

The prep is pretty straightforward: cut up the chicken, coat it in yogurt, add spices and pepper then make up the sauce, add it all together in the slow cooker and cook for 5 hours. We made it with a bunch of bismati rice and got some naan from the supermarket (amazingly, our local supermarket actually had bismati rice and naan!) for a really great meal. It might be harder to find garam masala spice, but look for spice stores or an indian market or something. We have a pretty nice spice store not too far from us so we were able to get some pretty easily.

Cut the boneless, skinless chicken thighs into 1- 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle the coriander, cumin and salt over the chicken, then stir in the yogurt until all the pieces are evenly coated. Place the chicken in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and put the jalapeno on top of the chicken.

To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, then stir. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to lightly brown around the edges.

Stir in the garam masala and ginger and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute) before adding the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Stir well, scraping the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or until the chicken is very tender.

Pour heavy cream into the slow cooker and stir gently until the color is even. Replace the lid and let cook for 10 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve over hot rice topped with a generous amount of chopped cilantro.